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Ringmaster
The Ringmaster is a main antagonist in Disney's 1941 film, Dumbo. As his name suggests, he is the head honcho of the circus in which most of the film takes place. And every animal in the show. He was voiced by Herman Bing in the original film and by Corey Burton in Disney's Villains' Revenge. Background Personality The Ringmaster is a stereotypical showman and businessman, with his main objective being to put on a decent, and entertaining show for profit. While an average and human agenda, his manner of doing so is extremely dubious, with several moments throughout the film hinting at the Ringmaster's nature behind closed doors. According to his undervalued roustabouts, the Ringmaster is an abusive figure, forcing his crew to work through harsh conditions, all the while spewing derogatory, and even racist names. It is mentioned by both the roustabouts and the clowns that he underpays his employees greatly, with the clowns all eventually asking him for a raise. His treatment of the animals (specifically the elephants) is also an indication of the Ringmaster's cruelty, as he carelessly has them perform impossible and life-threatening stunts as a means to draw in box office revenue, the best example of it is the Pyramid of Pachyderms (implied to not have even be rehearsed once). According to animation historian John Canemaker, this was purposefully done, as Dumbo has a cynical outlook on the traveling circus industry, highlighting how the entire setup is nothing more than a cheap, often sadistic illusion.1 Despite this, he is never shown to be quite as outwardly malicious as other villains introduced before or after him: his antagonistic actions against the Jumbo family are only answers to their dangerous behavior (going crazy against circus guests and ruining an albeit already dangerous stunt). He is, at his worst, a man running a show in an extremely questionable manner. The animals of the circus, in particular the elephants and Timothy Mouse, do not think too highly of the Ringmaster, finding him pompous and oafish—the latter of which isn't entirely untrue, as a recurring gag with the Ringmaster involves him tumbling into a barrel of water. Appearances Dumbo He is first seen when the train named Casey Junior is all loaded and ready to go, and shouts "All aboard!" and the train whistles back "All aboard! Let's go!". He is seen again leading the circus parade after they've arrived at their first city. When some mean kids start to make fun of Dumbo's big ears, Mrs. Jumbo, Dumbo's mother, starts attacking them in an attempt to protect her son. However, the Ringmaster, not having seen the kids bullying Dumbo, tries to stop her, only to be splashed into Dumbo's barrel where he took a bath in earlier. Furious, the Ringmaster has the "mad elephant" locked up in a cage. Later, he talks to his assistant Joe about a pachyderm pyramid, but has no clue what his climax will be. Timothy the Mouse, who (along with Dumbo) heard this, convinces the Ringmaster in his sleep to make Dumbo the climax so that Mrs. Jumbo can be let out. The next day, the Ringmaster puts the act into use, but Dumbo trips over his ears and causes the pyramid to fall, setting off a catastrophic chain of events which leads to the tent itself falling down and leaving the Ringmaster disappointed at the disaster that resulted from his big idea. Seeing no other use for Dumbo, he teams the little elephant with the clowns so to give him a role without causing anything disastrous. During a show in which Dumbo jumps off a higher building, he sees Dumbo soar over the crowd. He points in amazement to see something he never saw before. He receives his comeuppance via public humiliation, as Dumbo uses his ability to fly by running the Ringmaster in a water-filled barrel (echoing what Mrs. Jumbo did earlier) then throwing one of the clowns' elephant mask atop his rear. Though he isn't seen again, the Ringmaster finally makes Dumbo the main star of his circus, gives Dumbo his own train car, and best of all, lets Mrs. Jumbo out of solitary confinement. Live-action appearances Dumbo (2019) In the Tim Burton remake, the Ringmaster is portrayed by Danny DeVito and is named Max Medici, while his circus is known as the Medici Brothers Circus. He is a much more heroic character in the movie, with the role of the villain being given to V.A. Vandevere. He is first shown setting up the circus and welcoming Holt Farrier back from World War I. He and his kids reveal that Holt's wife died in the 1918 flu epidemic and that he has sold the horses from the couple's act, leaving Holt without an act. He also reveals that he has purchased a pregnant elephant named Mrs. Jumbo, hoping that the baby will become a star attraction for the failing circus. When Mrs. Jumbo gives birth, Medici immediately requests for the baby's abnormally large ears to be hidden. However, when the elephant's ears are accidentally exposed, leading the crowd to name him Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo storms into the ring and causes extensive damage and accidentally kills her abusive handler. Medici has her locked up as a "mad elephant" and sells her back to her original owner the next day (although he is only able to get him to pay half of what Medici bought the elephant for). Wanting to keep Dumbo but not wanting him in a serious role, Medici puts him and Holt (who is still looking for a replacement act) in the clown act. The act goes horribly wrong and Dumbo ends up trapped on a high platform on a burning building. Holt's daughter Milly gives Dumbo a feather, encouraging him to fly. This is photographed by an audience member and winds up making national headlines and Dumbo becomes an overnight celebrity. Medici is approached by businessman V.A. Vandevere some time later, who offers to work out a deal with Medici to give his troupe a home and a permanent venue for their show. Vandevere reveals that he knows that there is no second "Medici brother" and offers to act as a surrogate brother to Medici should he take him up on his offer. Medici agrees and Vandevere becomes co-owner of the circus. On the night of the troupe's first performance at Vandevere's theme park Dreamland, Medici joins Vandevere and investor J. Griffin Remington in the VIP seats. Soon after, Vandevere fires the entire troupe except for Dumbo, at which point Medici realizes his mistake. Vandevere then decides to have Mrs. Jumbo, who he recently purchased but now fears will distract Dumbo, taken away and killed after she and Dumbo reunite. When the Medici troupe frees Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo, Vandevere attempts to stop them but ends up causing an electrical fault that burns down the entire park. Medici laughs at Vandevere's misfortune and takes Remington, who he has befriended, to get a hot dog. After the Dreamland incident, Medici decides to give Holt his horse act back, gives Milly her own sideshow act, gives Joe an act, renames the circus to "The Medici Family Circus" (in which he announces to the viewers who are watching the movie), and gives his animals more freedom. Printed Material Return to the Isle of the Lost He is mentioned in the book Return to the Isle of the Lost of the Descendants franchise, as one of the villains sent to the Isle of the Lost, where appears his daughter, Hermie Bing (whose name is inspired by her father's original voice actor). Trivia * The ringmaster is characteristically related to Stromboli. Both have a curling mustache, make certain things perform, and shouts. Another similarity is that the Ringmaster separates Dumbo from his parent, just as Stromboli held Pinocchio captive to keep him from Gepetto. However, one main difference is that unlike Stromboli who sought to keep Pinocchio away from home, the Ringmaster has provided Dumbo with an agreeable home. * The ringmaster's character role is also similar to that of Aunt Sarah. They are both misunderstood villains who punish the protagonists (Dumbo and Lady) when they don't really deserve to be punished, and their reforming is not seen in the film, only mentioned. Category:Characters Category:Dumbo characters Category:Males Category:Humans Category:Adults Category:Bosses Category:Villains Category:Neutral characters Category:Business man Category:Circus performers Category:Disney characters Category:Antagonist